Fresh off his win in South Carolina, Trump has again defeated Haley as he marches toward the GOP nomination.
LANSING, Mich.—Former President Donald Trump has soundly defeated former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in Michigan’s Feb. 27 Republican presidential primary, notching his sixth-straight primary victory as he marches toward the GOP nomination.
The Associated Press called the race for President Trump right after the last polls closed at 9 p.m. ET.
The result is another blow to Ms. Haley, coming days after a double-digit defeat in her home state of South Carolina. Despite this, she has vowed to stay on through Super Tuesday on March 5, when numerous delegate-heavy states will hold their primaries.
Ms. Haley campaigned in Michigan on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 and was in Colorado on Feb. 27, part of a multiday tour ahead of Super Tuesday.
The former U.N. ambassador faces very challenging delegate math as Super Tuesday approaches, suggesting her time in the race is finite.
President Trump thanked the Michigan GOP after the race was called for him.
“I’m so proud of the results because they’re far greater than anticipated,” the former president said in remarks to the state’s GOP.
“We win Michigan; we win the whole thing,” he said.
Ms. Haley’s campaign, meanwhile, cast the results as a “warning sign” for President Trump.
“Joe Biden is losing about 20 percent of the Democratic vote today, and many say it’s a sign of his weakness in November. Donald Trump is losing about 35 percent of the vote. That’s a flashing warning sign for Trump in November,” Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement.
While 16 Michigan delegates to the Republican National Convention were allocated based on the primary results, the majority—39—of the state’s 55 delegates will be awarded as a result of caucusing on March 2.
The main event will be in Grand Rapids, where former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) will oversee a convention at which party insiders will vote on how to divvy up the remaining delegates.
Yet, while Mr. Hoekstra has the backing of President Trump and the Republican National Committee (RNC), his accession to leader of the Michigan GOP hasn’t been universally recognized by Republicans in the state.
Many in the party maintain that Kristina Karamo was improperly removed from her role as state GOP chairwoman. She’s staging her own convention in Detroit.
